Arsenal: 3 starters who won’t be starting next year

2. Shkodran Mustafi

There has been a lot of positivity coming out of this defense lately. It’s been a remarkable turnaround seeing the two side-show clowns, Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz, thriving as a defensive partnership. Seriously, it’s the definition of remarkable.

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But even still, that doesn’t mean we should be banking on this partnership for the long haul. Not with William Saliba coming to join up and not with Calum Chambers on the mend. Also, not with Dayot Upamecano or Jonathan Tah hopefully joining.

What Mustafi and Luiz have shown us is that the Arteta defensively philosophy is working and that being the case, we need to get some better defenders in there, because it can get even better.

With Luiz eking towards that extension with the club, it’s highly probable that Mustafi is the guy that gives way. We’ve got Saliba and Chambers and likely more coming and we can still probably get a decent return on Mustafi, who’s not old by any means.